5-PS1-2 lessons
Measure and graph quantities to provide evidence that regardless of the type of change that occurs when heating, cooling, or mixing substances, the total weight of matter is conserved.
The Next Generation Science Standards code 5-PS1-2 asks students to: “Measure and graph quantities to provide evidence that regardless of the type of change that occurs when heating, cooling, or mixing substances, the total weight of matter is conserved.” These Fieldbook lessons teach it hands-on, with everyday materials, a printable teacher guide and a student sheet.
Clean Water Challenge: Mixtures, Dissolving and Separating Grade 5 · partly supports this standard
- Where does the salt go when it disappears in water? 50–60 min
Teams stir salt, sugar, sand and flour into water to sort what dissolves from what only mixes, then weigh a jar before and after to find out whether dissolved salt is really gone. They use the evidence to name three mystery powders and to explain, in their own words, why dissolving is not melting.
- How can you get fresh water out of salt water? 50 min to set up and test, plus 2–3 hours of strong sun (or a 30-minute warm-water still indoors)
Teams build a solar still from a bowl, a cup and clear plastic film, and watch salt water turn to vapour and back to liquid in the cup, leaving the salt and blue dye behind. They weigh the whole still before and after, and test the collected water with a drop on a dark plate. Cloudy days and cool rooms get an adult-run warm-water version.
Solids, Liquids and Gases Grade 5
- Why does ice float? 50–60 min
Students compare water before and after freezing: same weight, but more space. They float a block of ice, measure how much sticks out, and use particles to explain why lakes freeze from the top down and fish survive the winter.
NGSS is used as written in Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, so the code 5-PS1-2 matches there. Other states word and number their own versions: see curriculum alignment for your state's codes.
More NGSS standards for Grade 5
All standards we teach · Curriculum alignment by state and province
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